Easy DIY home decor upgrades

You don't have to be a professional decorator to be creative with the rooms in your house. You'll love these super easy upgrades.

To jazz up throw pillows and pillowcases, look through your sewing and craft supplies for interesting and unusual embellishments. Ribbons, lace, buttons, beads, tassels, bits of fabric for appliqués, yarn, netting, old handkerchiefs, stencils and decorative stamps for fabric painting — practically anything that won't break and will wash can perk up a plain throw pillow or pillowcase. Here are some simple, quick and cost-free ideas:

• Tie on a satin or grosgrain ribbon. About 1.8 metres (two yards) or less will wrap around a 30-by-30-centimetre (12-by-12-inch) pillow and let you tie a pretty bow. Tack under the bow and on the back of the pillow.
• Sew a band of lace or decorative trim around the hem of a pillowcase. Seam the trim to cover the seam line at the pillowcase opening.
• Sew a row of mismatched buttons in any direction — vertical, horizontal or diagonal — on one side of a tailored throw pillow for an unexpectedly wry look.
• Sew pretty tassels to the corners of a throw pillow or sew or glue tasseled fabric trim around the pillow edges.

Sleeping under a down-filled duvet is blissful, but washing or dry cleaning it frequently is less than heavenly to your pocketbook. Instead of buying a duvet cover, hunt up a couple of flat bed sheets that will fully cover your duvet.

Pin the sheets together, right sides facing and sew bottoms and sides together with a straight seam. Turn the cover right side out and slip it over your duvet. The simplest closures are sewn-on ribbon or fabric tape ties, Velcro or snaps.

Now you have a beautiful new, cost-free duvet cover that can be washed as often as you like. Under normal conditions, your duvet will need washing or cleaning just once or twice a year.

Don't toss your old house curtains if they're too short for your new windows; just add a bottom panel. Search your fabrics and be ingenious.

For one panel, measure the width of your curtain and add seam allowances. Now determine how much you need for the length you want, including seam and hem allowances. If your fabric is large enough, you're practically home. Remove stitching from the curtain hems and trim. Cut the extra fabric to your measurements. Seam, hem and hang your "new" old curtain.

If you enjoy the luxury of terry-cloth bath sheets, this is an idea for you. Two terry-cloth bath sheets are nearly the same size as a standard shower curtain. Use bath sheets you already have: white bath sheets will create a spa feeling; bright colours can add "pow" to a plain bathroom.

Don't seam the towels; simply overlap the edges and sew together, stitching down the selvedge. Add eyelets near the top (eyelet kits are available at fabric stores). The standard number of holes is 12. To determine spacing, measure the full width of the sewn curtain and subtract 10 centimetres (four inches) to leave five centimetres (two inches) free at each side. Now divide the remainder by 12.

These fun easy-to-do home decor upgrades will have your friends and neighbours talking — and asking for the name of your new decorator!